Ander Crenshaw Trumpets Bill that Guts the IRS

On Wednesday, the U.S. House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee will grapple with the fiscal year 2014 Financial Services Bill.

U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., chairs the subcommittee and he praised the bill -- which lowers funding for the Internal Revenue Service by 24 percent -- in a statement on Tuesday.The bill also deals with funding for the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the General Services Administration (GSA), Small Business Administration (SBA), federal courts, the federal payment to the District of Columbia, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a host of other matters including former presidents and election assistance.

The subcommittee jurisdiction covers a diverse group of agencies and activities, including financial regulators, tax collection, the White House, federal courts, the District of Columbia, the General Services Administration, and the Small Business Administration, Crenshaw said. Our work has taken us through 11 hearings, including two with the Internal Revenue Service.

With our limited allocation, which is $4.3 billion, or 20 percent, less than the fiscal year 2013 enacted level, we have provided critical funding to support small businesses and law enforcement while reducing funding for activities that are not essential to the operations of the federal government or that have a history of wasting taxpayer resources, Crenshaw added. The bill also takes important steps to make the Internal Revenue Service and General Services Administration more transparent and accountable to the taxpayer.